Korea- The
65th
Infantry Regiment a unit of Puerto Rican troops with a history dating
back
to the time of President William Mckinley,is now on duty in Korea.
Authority for the first body of native troops was contained in
legislation enacted
in 1899 after which the "Puerto Rico Battalion of Volunteers of
Infantry"
was organized. In 1920 it received its present name. Early in World War
II,
the 65th was stationed in Panama but after a combat infiltration course
at
Fort Eustis, Va.sailed for North Africa and went to France in
September 1944. The regiment was awarded battle participation credits
in the Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Central Europe and Rhineland campaigns.The regiment was stationed in Puerto Rico until its
recent assignment in Korea.

Puerto Rican soldiers of the 65th Regimental Combat
Team, engaged in a "maximum-effort" mop up of bypassed North Korean
troops, straddled the hub of the main northward escape routes being
used by the stranded enemy here Saturday. Col. William W.
Harris, commander of the reinforced 3rd Division regiment now attached
to the 25th Division, deployed his units along a new 32-mile-long
perimeter extending from the Kum river north-west of Yongdong to
Kumchon on the southeast. Patrols of platoon and company strength
probed the mountains in all directions to flush all remaining enemy
remnants fromtheir hideaways in the wilderness of central South
Korea. The 65th, which with
the exception of a few American officers is composed exclusively of
Puerto Ricans - transferred the center of its operations from Kumchun
after coming into possession of maps detailing the escape paths
employed by North Koreans attempting to slip northward to the
Manchurian border. The charts were taken from a recently
captured enemy officer and showed Yongdong to be the center of planned
escape
routes which roughly resemble a giant "squid." The
combat
team arrived in the theater on Sept. 23, too late to participate in the
Inchon invasion, and was assigned to a major role in neutralizing
behind- the- lines enemy resistance. Moving in behind northward- of the
United Nations forces, the Puerto Ricans saw their first action near
Chanynyong on Sept. 29, when a patrol was ambushed and one man was
killed and threewounded. Since Oct. 9 they have been in daily
contact
with North Korean elements with some units in large scale encounters
with
as many as 500 enemy troops. To date the combat team has
killed
105 North Koreans and bagged 887 prisoners. Puerto Rican casualties for
the
same period have been 17 killed and 30 wounded. Debarking at Pusan the 65th
proceeded to its present sector by way of Sammangjin, Waegwan and
Kumchon. The troops encountered and neutralized enemy pockets along the
route. The principal action enroute was
fought on Oct. 4, when a company was sent to the rescue of a U.S. Army
radio station on Hill 585 under attack from Red guerrillas. Since
arriving in the Kumchon-Yongdong area the combat team has beenhit in force twice. Both times Company E of Lt. Col.
Herman Damner's 3rd Battalion was the unit besieged. On Oct. 13, 500
Reds pounced on the Easy Company shortly after nightfall in a
breakthrough attempt and ammunition was rushed in and the attack was
neutralized. The same company's kitchen was struck by a group of 90
foraging Koreans on Oct. 17. A hastily organized platoon of kitchen
personnel counter-attacked and killed or captured every North Korean in
the group.

Nov 7, 1950Puerto Ricans Fight On Northeast FrontAT NORTHEAST FRONT

NORTH KOREA (AP)--The
65th Puerto Rican Regiment is in Wonson on the northeast front, tenth
corps spokesman disclosed Tuesday. He said the Puerto Ricans beat back
a probing attack at Yonghung, 30 miles north of Wonsan.Meanwhile the U.S. Marines smashed a series of
Chinese counter-attacks and battled slowly but steadily forward through
canyons
in the mountains below Chosin. The spokesman indicated gains in the
bloody
battle were being measured in yards because of determined resistence.

One United States
dependency, little heard about from a publicity standpoint, is the
largest and most
vastly populated of all-Puerto Rico. But things started happening a
couple
of weeks ago that changed all that. First, Communist groups in the
capital
city of San Juan, led an uprisingagainst the duly elected Government. Then to show
they meant bussiness in their hostility toward the U.S. , this same
group directed sympathizers in America to assassinate President Truman.
The plot failed as
did their revolt. These were all headline items
that
brought the West Indian island into focus. But the Puerto Ricans did
something
else previous to this same hectic time that didn't receive much
publicity.
The 65th Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army, made up largely of native Puerto
Ricans, landed in Korea to join forces with other UN troops. This
well-trained regiment is not new to the Army, however, and their unit
history indicates that their presence in the snow covered hills of
North Korea sounds another ominous note
for Communist aggressors. Organized shortly after the
annexation of Puerto Rico following our war withSpain in 1899, the 65th Infantry Regiment was first
known as the Puerto Rico Battalion of Volunteers Infantry. Following
several name changes and enlargements, including a battalion of mounted
troops, the regiment finally became a part of the Regular Army by an
Act of Congress on June 16, 1908 and was again renamed, the Puerto Rico
Regiment of Infantry, USA. The first official act after becoming a
member of the regular establishment was an inspection by the then
Eastern Department commander, Gen. Frederiek - D.
Grant, who afterward addressed the assembled troops. He stated, "This
is one
of the best regiments I have ever seen and there are few as good and
none
better under my command." Of this the 65th has remained proud and
endeavored to maintain the same standard of efficiency up to the
present date. The regiment was brought up to full
battle strength in May of 1917 and ordered to the Panama Canal, where
it remained during the first World War, protecting that vital
installation. June 4,
1920, found the soldiers back home on their Caribbean island under
their
present name- 65th Infantry Regiment. They remained at their home
station
during the interim of great wars and it wasn't until the early part of
1943,
that they again took up security positions in Panama. From Pearl Harbor
until that time, they patroled every inch of their homeland in
anticipation of anexpected invasion. While in the Canal Zone,
intensive jungle training was given to the troops when they could be
spared from the posts. Although they never has occacion to become
engaged in jungle fighting, they were nonetheless prepared. Later that year the 65th
left the Zone and was shuttled to Fort Eustis, Va. where the men took
advanced Infantry training, and then sailled for North Africa. After
landing at Port Aux Poules, more training followed, this time in
amphibious tactics. Then on to France and Marseille. Their first
commitment to action was in the Maritme Alp region at Peira Cava This
short campaign resulted in 47 battle casualties. Then came patrol duty
and security missions in the Kaiserlantern-Manheim
sector of Germany . This was March, 1945. V-E Day found the fighting
Puerto
Ricans deep in the heart of Germany and in looking back over their
route
of advance they had won battle participation credits at Naples Foggia,
Rome-Arno,
Central Europe, and Rhineland campaigns. While alerted for further action in the
Pacific
War, the signing of the Japanese surrender caught up with them and they
were
returned home to San Juan in November, !945. In the
last five years the 65th Infantry has been anything but asleep. It has
trained extensively, participating in war games and joining in frequent
maneuvers. A Maltese cross
predominates
the coat of arms of the 65th. The significanceof this ancient Christian symbol dates from early
Puerto Rican history, when at the time of the conquest of the island by
the Spanish in the 15th century the city of San Juan was named for the
military order of St. John of Jerusalem. This order was later renamed
the Knights of Malta, their dress being a black robe with a Maltese
Cross. The regimental crest of a wreath
of colors with a rampant lion, was taken from the coat of arms of Ponce
de Leon, the island's first Spanish governor. The UN forces in Korea will
find the men and officers of the 65th a ready and willing ally. They
carry with them a tradition and they aim to uphold it. Puerto-Ricans
are brawny fighters and they appreciate their stake in preserving the
freedom of a democratic world.

FIGHTING
PUERTO RICANS flush out hidden Korean Reds somewhere in Korea.These men found two, added them to the regiment's PW
bag.

SOMEWHERE
IN
SOUTH KOREA (UP)-Puerto Rico's youthful
65th Infantry Regiment which distinguished itself in combat against the
Chinese Communists on the Hungnam perimeter arrived at a southern port
Tuesday. The first and third battalions were due to
debark from the U.S. General H. B. Freeman Wednesday. They will join
other elements of the 3rd U.S. Division pending assignment to their
next mission. Capt. George F. Ammon, of Vicksburg,Miss. who
has commanded a company of
the 65th for two years, said the youngsters "crowned themselves with
glory
and proved themselves a well trained combat unit" in their baptism of
fire
on the frozen northeast coastal front. "They were a
well-disciplined
outfit with that- devil-may-care attitude," Capt. Ammon said. "When
they
were sent to drive back the Chinese they moved out aggressively and
carried
the fight to the enemy every minute. When they were on the defensive
they
stayed in their foxholes even when their positions were overrun and
picked
off the commies with the coolness and precision of seasoned veterans."